Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith

By: Chad Van Dixhoorn

The Westminster Confession of Faith of 1643 has stood for centuries as the greatest statement of Evangelical Christianity. It is a sad reality that many (most, in fact) doctrinal statements used in churches and Christian organizations today are woefully short, and often equally anemic. Often, for the express purpose of openness, tolerance, and unity, such statements are purposefully kept vague. In stark contrast, our historical faith was once unambiguously delineated in historic statements such as the Westminster, as well as both the 1644 and 1689 London Baptist Confession.

Just as there have been great doctrinal statements, there have also arisen complementary explanations of such statements. Robert Shaw’s 1845 An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith, for example, is a classic and is available online for free download. In our own day, Reformed Baptist Samuel E. Waldon has penned the excellent A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith (Evangelical Press, 1989).

Enter the new addition, Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith by Chad Van Dixhoorn (Banner of Truth Trust, 2014, 484 pages). The author is singularly qualified to write this book, being Associate Professor of Church History at Reformed Theological Seminary (Washington, DC), as well as Associate Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church (Vienna, VA). As an historian, he is also well known for his five-volume work on the Minutes of the Westminster Assembly (Oxford).

Let me say upfront that I am unapologetically baptistic, so there are things in both the WCF and in this commentary with which I do not agree, but none of that detracts from what one can glean from it or what one can balance with another exposition, such as the aforementioned one by Samuel E. Waldon, for example, or one’s own theological training.

With that understood, Van Dixhoorn’s work is outstanding. After a solid “Introduction,” which deals with the history of the Confession and the Assembly itself, the work is divided into easily manageable sections (which actually lends itself to daily readings); each section begins with a side-by-side comparison of one or more paragraphs of the “Historic Text” of the WCF and the “Modern Text.” In his own words, Van Dixhoorn’s aim then is “to expound one late Reformation text and not Reformed theology generally conceived” (xxiv). In other words, we should appreciate the fact that he allows the Confession to speak for itself, no in the context of “a system.” He also addresses the texts the assembly cited to support a given statement. Interestingly, while more modern versions of the WCF sometimes use alternative texts that are actually better support, Van Dixhoorn chose to keep it historical and not use those texts (xxv).

Because one of my passions is the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, I offer an example of the author’s work using that part of the WCF. It reads, for example, “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men” (1.6). At the end of a section headed “Scripture Sufficient,” Van Dixhoorn summarizes: “Scripture is sufficient in the sense that no further special revelation from God is needed to guide us through life other than the revelation graciously available to us in the Bible” (17). In the face of those who claim new revelation, the author goes on to comment on one of the assembly’s proof-texts: “If someone suggest that they have a new revelation of the Spirit, we are not to be rattled; in fact, we can ignore it (2 Thess. 2:2)” (18). Here is something extremely significant for our day!

Also helpful are the times when the author contrasts the Confession’s statements with the doctrinal error of the day, which obviously is of practical use in our own day because the same errors remain. The writings of the divines themselves are also referenced at times to help endorse the view of the Confession. Also very helpful are two indexes: Scripture and General.

A minor criticism is that the “Historical Text” has actually been updated according to current spelling and grammar, so we are not actually seeing the real “historical text.” Further, the “Modern Text” sometimes uses words that don’t mean precisely what the historical text means. For example, for the word “authentic” (original word “authentical”) in reference to Scripture, the word “authoritative” is used (20); these mean very different things.

One other “little” thing struck me, namely that the author is obviously using a modern translation that is substantially different at times than that used by the divines. In 8.1, for example, the Confession clearly refers to God’s “only begotten son,” but when the author quotes the proof text John 3:16, he uses one that reads “his one and only son” (107). I have written elsewhere on this issue and demonstrated that such a translation is wrong textually, theologically, and historically (click here if you care to read).

All in all, I recommend this book for its reverence, reflection, and readability. I fully expect it to be adopted as a standard textbook in many seminaries. It will also serve as a reference to pastors who wish to use the Confession in their preaching and teaching and even laypeople who want an understandable explanation of our historical faith.

[Note: The Banner of Truth Trust  (http://banneroftruth.org/us/) graciously provided me with a review copy of this book with no strings attached as to the content of my review.]

The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded

By: Paul Enns

I collect theology books. From the first doctrine book I ever owned—Great Doctrines of the Bible by William Evans, which I used in a High School course in 1970—I have built a fair collection of works on the five major divisions of theological study: Systematic, Biblical, Dogmatic, Historical, and Contemporary.

Recently added to that collection is The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded, penned by Paul Enns (Moody Publishers, 2014). While I stop short of calling it a “masterpiece,” a term that is somewhat subjective, I do view it as a contemporary classic. Webster defines the latter as something that has come to be considered one of the best of its kind, something that is an example of excellence, and that is exactly what this 800-page book is. It is a readable, rich, and reliable overview of the five major divisions of theological study.

First, it is readable. There is little jargon here. When theological terms are necessary (e.g., dichotomy, trichotomy, hypostatic union, imputation, etc.), they are clearly defined in simple language not only in the text but also in the excellent Glossary in the back pages. As I read it, in fact, I was reminded again of the clarity of William Evan’s book in my High School days. It is ideal for laymen but also a good tool for Bible college and seminary level because of the extensive documentation of the material in endnotes (although I personally would have preferred footnotes).

Second, it is rich. This massive work is a veritable treasure trove of biblical truth. While I respectfully disagree with the author that “Biblical Theology” should be the first division the student studies (I believe Systematic Theology comprises the foundational building blocks), Part 1 addresses the former. After briefly presenting the plethora of approaches that have been offered for studying OT Theology (pp. 33–37), Enns presents and defends his preference: a thematic approach that develops the concept of the Kingdom of God (pp. 37–39). He then moves era-by-era (Edenic, Noahic, Patriarchal, Mosaic, Monarchial, and Prophetic) through the OT, examining the main theme and others.

Enns approaches NT theology using what most conservatives consider the best approach: “systemiz[ing] the truth as it was progressively revealed through the various writers of the NT” (p. 80). He then presents the theology of the Synoptics, Acts, James, Paul, Hebrews, Peter and Jude, and John.

Part 2 turns to Systematic Theology and is the lengthiest part of the book (184 pages). After the customary Introduction, Enns chooses to start with Bibliology (with which I totally agree) and then moves through the other eight major subjects. I was disappointed in the former because of a lack of presenting the difference between “inerrancy” and “infallibility,” a flaw of several contemporary works (IMHO), in contrast to old ones (Turretin, Hodge, Westminster divines, etc., which is not just my opinion).

Part 3 moves on to Historical Theology, a much neglected area in our day, the result of which causes much error. As Enns notes, the purpose of this aspect of theological study is “to describe the historical origin of the dogma of the Church and to trace its subsequent changes and developments” (p. 439). Its four chapters survey the major theological teachings of the Ancient, Medieval, Reformation, and Modern eras.

Part 4 addresses Dogmatic Theology, which the author correctly differentiates from Systematic Theology by describing it as the theology of a particular group or system. The five chapters here are Calvinistic, Arminian, Covenant, Dispensational, and Catholic.

Part 5 is a survey of Contemporary Theology, an extremely important area of theological study that addresses ten of the major theological systems that have arisen in the 20^th-century, most of which are seriously aberrant. Among several others, these chapters cover: Neo-orthodoxy, Evangelical Feminism, Charismatic Theology, and the Emerging Church.

Scattered throughout the book, there are also 55 charts and tables, just a few examples of which include: Comparing the Gospels; Order of the Decrees; OT Prophecies of Christ; Theories of the Atonement; Forms of Church Government; Views of the Lord’s Supper; Views Concerning Last Things; Perversions of the Doctrine of Christ; and Calvinism and Arminianism Contrasted. In addition to the aforementioned Glossary, there are also three excellent indexes: Persons, Subject, and Scripture. Also, each chapter concludes with a “For Further Study” section listing both beginner and more advanced works for students who wish to go deeper. Occasionally (IMHO), the number of works listed is just a little overkill (come to think of it, this review probably is too).

Third, it is reliable. It was interesting to read some reviews of this book on Amazon, some of which criticized it because the reviewer was obviously a member of one of the aberrant theologies addressed in Part 5. This book is thoroughly evangelical and solidly orthodox. It is young earth oriented, “mildly” Calvinistic, dispensational, and (thankfully) cessationist. Obviously, no reader is going to agree in every jot and tittle, but he can use it with full confidence of its roots in biblical and historical Christianity. And please, even if you differ on the aforementioned subjects, you should not avoid this book, for it will thoughtfully challenge you.

I would also interject that the author is for the most part quite unbiased, honestly presenting conflicting views of theological issues. A case in point is the extent of the atonement (pp. 340–41); he fairly presents the arguments for both definite and unlimited (although experienced reviewers will get a sense of which one he holds). Likewise, he objectively presents the differing views of Eschatology (pp. 408–425). When it comes to the seriously aberrant theologies of Part 5, however, Enns speaks the Truth in love and exposes clear biblical error.

I cannot recommend this classic highly enough. It is hands down the best one-volume survey of theology ever penned. The only improvement I think could be made is a Study Guide (and I for one would love to write it).

[Note: Moody graciously provided me with a review copy of this book with no strings attached as to the content of my review.]